Day 276

The waves crashed upon the shore gently. Xurik took a deep breath; the smell of the ocean air was so familiar, so comforting. He needed that comfort now... it had been weeks since Xion had vanished. Where had she gone?

As always, the sound of the ebbing waves gave him an odd feeling of sadness. Why didn't Xion return home? Didn't she miss them? He still didn't know why she had vanished... only that she had left without explanation or warning.

He knelt down; a seashell had washed up on the shore. He picked it up, holding it as gently as a priceless treasure. It was the same type of shell that the girl had brought him so long ago, back when he had been stuck in a deep sleep.

"Xion..."

A sudden movement caught his eye. He glanced to the left - then nearly froze when he realized it was another cloaked figure, walking across the bridge leading to a smaller island off the coast. The person's stature was too slight to be any of the senior members in the Organization, and no one else had received a mission to go to Destiny Islands today...

His chest felt like a balloon was inflating within it. Could Xion really be here, of all places?

He hurried to the bridge, then ran across it, the wooden planks creaking under his boots. He skidded to a stop before the figure - his face melted into relief.

"Xion! Thank god I found you!"

The person said nothing. Suddenly she turned to face him - and removed the hood.

Xurik gasped, his eyes narrowed in confusion. What was once the slim frame of Xion was now the heavy muscular build of a man with short brown hair. What was this man's name? Lexaeus? But Lexaeus was dead... he had been destroyed in Castle Oblivion.

"To be scared of the darkness... what a waste."

Xurik opened his mouth to respond, when a voice suddenly called out behind him. He turned, and saw with shock that a boy with spiky brown hair was walking across the bridge. Static flashed across Xurik's vision, as if he were watching a poor video recording.

"I'm not scared. I just don't need it." He pointed a sword glowing with light at the man. "I can use light just as well as Riku can use darkness. What more do I need?"

Xurik gasped as an unimaginable pain ran through his brain. He cried out, falling to the ground as he clutched his head.

"That may well be," Lexaeus was saying. His voice began to warp with the younger boy's voice, until they began to speak simultaneously. Xurik was barely able to focus on what they were saying - his arm shot out to the ground, trying to steady himself. No - she was Xion, wasn't she? Not Xurik... this was all a bad dream...

"The two of you could be one, united in your use of the light and the dark."

"And if I say no?"

The two figures began to pace around Xion, continuing to speak in unison in that oddly warped way. Xion continued writhing on the ground, overcome by the throbbing between her ears. Spasms of light began to pulse before her eyes as static started overcoming her vision. She could barely see the man and the boy any more, although she could still hear them talking.

"Then you end here - light, darkness, and all!"

Now even the strength of Xion's knees gave out - she collapsed to the sandy ground. No... he wasn't Xion. Sora writhed on the ground, overcome by pure agony as Lexaeus and the other Sora continued to pace.

"See the power of darkness!"

His form flashed back to Xurik...

"I, Lexaeus, will not yield to a frail-hearted craven!"

Roxas...

"Now, end your resistance!"

Sora...

"Let the darkness in!"

The silver-haired boy's turquoise eyes snapped open, revealing the agony tearing through his entire being - as Riku cried out from the excruciating pain.

Sora held the raven-haired girl gently. She had collapsed within Castle Oblivion - even now that he had brought her to his home world, she seemed to be having terrible nightmares. She was sweating and mumbling faintly to herself. What was she dreaming about? Nothing good, that much was certain.

"Who am I?" she whispered suddenly. She winced in her fitful sleep. "What am I... here for?"

Sora sighed, brushing her hair out of her face gently. She looked so much like Kairi... though if Naminé was correct, that was only because she was slowly filling up with Riku's memories, including those of Kairi.

He knew that this artificial Nobody had to return to Riku in order for him to wake up... but how could he ask this girl to stop existing?

He glanced to the left as movement caught his eye. A steel-haired boy was running across the beach, vanishing in an instant through a dark portal to the corridors of darkness. His eyes narrowed. That boy... was that Riku's Nobody? Xurik...

What was he supposed to do?

Lexaeus and Sora vanished as Xion passed from one dream to the next. She now sat on the bark of the tree on the island - the Paupu tree, her memories told her. To her left were Roxas and Axel - to her right sat Xurik. The sunset was slowly setting beyond the edge of the ocean, casting a deep red hue over the water. It was just like their afternoons on the clock tower in Twilight Town... yet somehow, watching the sunset from the islands felt more familiar.

"Is it that I'm not supposed to exist?" Xion whispered quietly.

Xurik, Roxas, and Axel exchanged glances.

"Well, what do you want to do, Xion?" Axel asked gently.

Tears came to her eyes. She looked down at her hands; they were clasped tightly together in her lap.

"I want... I want to be with you three."

"Then come back with us," Roxas said, giving her a sad smile.

Xurik nodded. He took her hand, holding it gently in his own. "We miss you, Xion. I miss you."

She shook her head slowly, though she didn't withdraw her hand from his. "I can't... not the way I am now. But... what would it take for me to be like you?"

None of the three boys said anything. She sighed. What did she expect? Dreams could only give you answers that you already knew deep within yourself... and she was at a loss herself for what to do. Was there even an answer?

What kind of sad life did she lead when she had less of a right to exist than Nobodies did?

Xurik rounded the corner, and was shocked to see Axel sitting on the ledge of the clock tower. It felt like the man came less and less... until finally he had stopped coming at all. With Xion gone as well, Roxas had been the only one around to keep him company. Today, the blond boy didn't seem to be around... but perhaps his mission was just taking a long time.

"You're here," Xurik said bluntly, and Axel smirked.

"Been that long, huh?"

Xurik gave Axel a tight smile, but sat down nonetheless. He still wasn't convinced that the man was telling him everything he knew about Xion... but he would let it rest for now. He sighed - enough was on his mind without him trying to alienate on of his few remaining friends.

"I had a mission to go to the beach today... Destiny Islands, I think it was called."

"I've heard of it. That's the beach I was thinking of when I talked about going for our next vacation."

Xurik nodded. "I... saw a girl who looked kind of like Xion today. She had red hair though, and it was a little longer." He shook his head. "I dunno. Today's mission just felt surreal. Like I was dreaming or something. Maybe I didn't see the girl at all... maybe I just wanted to see Xion so badly that I imagined her there."

Axel was silent for a moment, a serious expression on his face. Finally he stood up. "You wanna go look for her?"

Xurik's eyes widened. "But... Xemnas ordered us not to. You're going to go against that?"

"Orders, shmorders. Starting tomorrow, let's use our spare time between work and coming here to try and find Xion."

Xurik hesitated, then grinned. This was the Axel he remembered.

"Let's do it. I'm tired of sitting around, letting other people made decisions."

Axel smirked. "I'm sure you are. We'll tell Roxas the next time we see him."

Xion winced. Her eyes slowly fluttered open - the first thing she saw was the matching blue eyes of the brown-haired boy standing over her.

For some reason, she felt no fear, unlike when she had seen him at the Beast's Castle. His arms felt surprisingly strong and warm around her.

"Are you..."

"Sora," he said, smiling faintly. "I'm Riku's friend."

Xion's eyes lit up. "Riku? You know Riku?"

"Yup. Better than anyone."

He got to his feet, then held out a hand and helped her up. She gratefully accepted.

"Thank you. You saved me... but I don't know why you did."

Sora shrugged. What was it that Riku had told him once? That you couldn't expect people to help you for no reason? That was the entire reason he had helped Maleficent... to find Sora and Kairi. Riku had better be glad that Sora did help people for no reason. This vessel for his memories might have been saved by Sora's hero complex.

"Helping people is pretty much what I do," he said finally, grinning.

Xion looked confused, but smiled nonetheless. "Sora, please... tell me more - about Riku and that girl he's always with."

Sora's gaze fell. "Kairi."

Xion's eyes widened - she nodded slowly. "Kairi... that's right. She's the one who looks so much like me. You told me that the first time we met."

"She's someone very special to Riku. To both of us." Right now the girl would be on the mainland somewhere - hardly anyone came to the small island where they had played as children. He had visited her once or twice more in the past few months. What would she think of her bizarre twin?

"It's just... I remember things about the two of them." Xion's eyes began to water. "But I'm nothing more than a puppet - something that somebody created. So why would I have... their memories? Do you know where Riku is now?"

Sora considered this for a moment; he nodded slowly.

"Yes... but I can't tell you that. I'm sorry. Like I told you last time... I have to make sure that my best friend sleeps in peace."

"Why's that?" Xion said quietly. "I mean, why is he asleep?"

"Xion..." Sora began, but shook his head. This was so difficult to say... how could he tell her that her past was a lie? She already knew that she was a puppet - that was bad enough. "All of the things you're remembering... about me, and Riku, and Kairi... those memories don't belong to you. They're Riku's memories."

Xion looked pained, but less so that Sora thought she might. "So you mean... I'm like a part of him?"

"Kind of. A few months ago, some stuff happened with the Organization, in Castle Oblivion. Riku's memories were scattered afterward... and some of those memories got stuck in you, I guess. Riku is sleeping so that we can fix his memories, and so that he can remember the truth."

"But you can't fix his memory, because part of it is inside of me," Xion said, realizing where Sora was going. "That means... he can't wake up."

Sora nodded sadly. "Right. The only way he can is if you came with me. My friend Naminé... she could fix all of this." His gaze fell. "But I don't know if I want you to do that. It would save Riku, but it could destroy you. I don't know what to do..."

Xion looked up at Sora. "What? But... you would put the life of a puppet before your best friend?"

"Never. I just... wish there was a way to fix everything where no one got hurt."

Xion gave a small smile. "Sora... you're a good person. I can see why Riku chose you as his friend."

He laughed. He knew that she was right... he and Riku were best friends, now. Still, there had been a time when Riku was willing to kill him in order to save Kairi. That was why Xion looked like Kairi, not Sora... his feelings for the girl were greater than any other.

"I want to help Riku," Xion said slowly. "But... I just can't. It's my friends... they need me. And I need them, too."

Sora nodded. He understood friendship more than anyone. He put a hand on her shoulder.

"This isn't something that I can ask you to do. I do want Riku to wake up... and I wish there was a way to where you could still... exist. But Namine says that there simply isn't. You are, in some ways, made of Riku's lost memories."

Tears continued to fill Xion's eyes. Sora winced - seing Xion cry almost had the same effect on him as if he were watching Kairi cry.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"No... no, it's not that. I just... don't know what I should do. It isn't right for me to keep Riku's memories, but... it isn't right for me to leave my friends either. How will I know where I belong, truly? I'm not sure I can promise you I'll come up with the right answer."

"There's never a right answer, really," Sora said. He sighed. "That's something I've had to learn. Sometimes you just have to do what works best for everyone - something that makes the most people happy."

Xion buried her face in her hands. How could she make anyone happy when her very existance was causing people pain?

Day 296

"I'll look again after work today, see if I can find her."

Xurik nodded dully, managing to give Axel a fake smile. He was trying to be hopeful, but they had searched for Xion for the past three weeks. Every world they scoured turned out empty - where was she? Did she really want to stay hidden that badly?

What about her friends? Did they mean nothing to her anymore?

"Come on," Roxas said quietly, putting his hand on Xurik's shoulder. He nodded; the most they could do was keep trying. Maybe, eventually, they would at least find a lead of some sort. It was better than giving up. In the meantime, they had missions to do. Xurik grimaced. Xemnas and Saix didn't give a damn about finding Xion - so helping the Organization was beginning to leave a bad taste in his mouth. Where else could he go, though?

"Excellent work, Pete," Maleficent said with a wicked grin, striding across the courtyard outside of Olympus Colliseum. The hulking black shadow stared up at her with glowing yellow eyes; she stroked its chin thoughtfully. Pulsating darkness seeped across the figure's thick muscles. "Not quite a hero anymore... I knew that Hades was useless for not being able to accomplish even this much."

Pete smirked. "Once we rigged the games, ambushing Hercules was a piece o' cake! He makes one beauty of a Heartless!"

"The Princesses will not go anywhere while we prepare. We shall build any army - then none shall stand in our way! After that, they will fall into our hands once more."

"Not even that hooded kid that keeps showin' up is gonna stop us," Pete said, scowling. "A few more Heartless would show 'im!"

Far behind them, Xurik and Roxas watched from behind a tall column. They exchanged glances.

"I guess she's still trying to make Heartless, like Xemnas said," Roxas said quietly. It had been several months since they had last seen the woman.

"Yeah. I don't know what she's talking about with Princesses, but... what hooded kid?"

Roxas's eyes narrowed. "You don't think... Xion?"

Xurik shook his head. "No, remember the Organization imposter Xaldin and I saw? The one with the glowing sword? I bet that's who she's talking about. I guess he and Maleficent aren't exactly friends if he's been getting in her way."

"Maybe." Roxas watched as Maleficent banished the huge Heartless to the shadows. "I feel bad for that guy... Hercules? Maybe we should have done something to help."

"We're not supposed to get involved, remember? Besides," Xurik added with a bitter smirk, "That's just one more Nobody the Organization gets to use. Anyway... I think we've collected enough hearts for one day. Let's go look for Xion some more."

"You sure there isn't someplace you're forgetting to check?" Axel asked on the clock tower after they had thouroughly searched the Beast's Castle for the fourth time.

Roxas shook his head. "I've been everywhere I know how to get to. We all have."

"Right..."

Xurik glanced at Axel. "Castle Oblivion is the one place we haven't checked. You did say that she had been sent on a special mission there the day before she vanished." He didn't need to mention that he suspected Axel had lied about her special mission - Axel could probably already tell that Xurik was suspicious. Even now, Axel wouldn't meet his eyes.

"Yeah, but... the place has been cleared out, man. There's nothing there."

"Xion might be there," Roxas said, clearly liking the idea.

Axel sighed. "You know... that's where she comes from. Castle Oblivion. That's probably why she was asking about it."

Xurik's eyes widened. This was news to him. "Really? Why didn't you say something sooner?"

"Hey, I only found out about it a little while ago myself."

"She must have a lot of questions," Roxas said, frowning. "Poor Xion..."

Day 297

Xurik woke up bright and early, eager to get his mission done with so that he could start searching for Xion as soon as possible. It surprised him, therefore, when Saix approached him with a special mission as he entered the Grey Area.

"The impostor has been sighted again."

"The impostor?" Hadn't Maleficent mentioned him the day before? "The one wearing our robes?"

"He's prowling about Castle Oblivion as we speak."

Xurik's eyes widened. Castle Oblivion? That couldn't be more perfect - if he was going there on official orders, it would be a piece of cake to search for Xion at the same time. He nodded immediately.

"I'll do it."

Saix gave a cold smirk. "Not by yourself, you won't. This target is extremely dangerous."

"Then how 'bout I tag along?" Axel said, approaching. "I know Castle Oblivion better than anybody else in this outfit. Heck, we should probably even bring someone else along for backup. How about, I dunno... Roxas?"

Xurik smirked - Axel was transparent as ever, doing his best to keep the three boys together in their search for Xion. Saix seemed so intent on catching the impostor that he either didn't notice or didn't care for once.

"All right, better. Go, then, and teach this fraud the price for wearing our coat."

As Saix walked away, Axel grinned at Xurik. "Castle Oblivion, huh? Ask and ye shall receive."

"Let's just hope that Xion's there," Xurik said nodding. "I wonder what the imposter is doing there, anyway? It can't be anything good if Castle Oblivion is where the Organization keeps a lot of its secrets..."

"I just heard!" Roxas said, running up to them. "This is perfect! I hope Xion shows up. We've looked everywhere else."

"We'll see," Axel said with a small smile. "It's worth a try, at least. Just don't forget the mission."

A dark portal opened; Xurik, Roxas, and Axel stepped out into a short corridor. The floor, walls, and ceiling were all a blinding white; even the columns and floral decorations lining the walls were painted white. Xurik squinted, eyes in pain from the sudden, unexpected brightness.

"This is Castle Oblivion, huh?" Xurik said quietly. He took a few steps forward, then suddenly winced. He clutched his head, overcome by a sudden migraine.

"Xurik?" Axel said, quickly running to his side.

"Agh! My... my head..." the boy cried out, falling to his knees. Roxas stared at Axel in worry.

"What's wrong with him, Axel?"

Axel shook his head, concern all over his face. This was why he had never agreed to bring Xurik here - with all of Riku's memories floating all over the place, it was bound to have some kind of effect on his Nobody. Axel knew better than anyone what had transpired in this castle, but he couldn't tell Xurik or Roxas that.

"Hey, easy man," Axel said quickly, putting his arm around Xurik for support. "C'mon, let's retreat for now, and-"

"No!" Xurik hissed, although he was still doubled over in obvious pain. "Xion... she has to be here, she's got to... I have to find her, I... what's going... on?"

"Xurik!"

Xurik screamed. Everything around him went white. Scenes suddenly began pouring into his mind unbidden. Pictures of Heartless, strange worlds, the ocean, people both foreign and familiar... over and over again, pictures of the silver-haired boy flashed before his eyes.

"Wh... what are... all these... images?"

"We're leaving," Axel said quickly, waving over Roxas to help. "Now!"

"No, wait... I'm so close... I can almost see... something..."

"Xurik, what's wrong?" Roxas said, panic on his face. The older boy on the floor stretched out his arm, as if reaching for something - then he suddenly collapsed, unconscious.

"Shit," Axel muttered. "We've gotta get him out of here, Roxas. Gimme a hand."

Roxas nodded. He bent down to help Axel lift his friend - but wavered. Knees trembling, he collapsed to his knees.

"Oh, give me a break," Axel whispered, wincing as Roxas clutched the front of his robes. Coming to Castle Oblivion had been an obvious mistake.

"Axel, my - my chest hurts," Roxas said, a hand pressed to the place where his heart might have been if he had one.

"Take it easy, man," Axel said quickly, hoisting the motionless Xurik over his shoulder. He attempted to nudge Roxas towards the door. "We need to get out of here."

Sweat was beading up on Roxas's face as he squeezed his eyes shut in pain, hand tight on his chest. Suddenly his deep blue eyes snapped open. He stared at Axel, confusion on his face.

"Roxas, come on, let's move," Axel said quietly.

"Where... am I? Aqua... Terra..."

Roxas collapsed, unconscious as well. Axel sighed.

"Shit."

Come on, Riku! Don't tell me you're giving up already!

"SORA!" Xurik shouted suddenly, sitting up. He paused, confused. He had been lying on the ground in Twilight Town... what was he doing here? His head felt like someone had been pounding nails into it.

"Whoa, you okay there?" Axel said, concern on his face as he knelt down beside him.

Xurik shook his head, clutching his head in pain. "What happened?"

"You collapsed right inside the castle doors. Don't you remember?" He cocked his head to the side; Roxas was lying on the ground as well. "Blondie here conked out right after you."

"I only remember going inside," Xurik said with a frown. Everything afterwards was fuzzy. He stood up.

"Hey, you should take a breather."

"I'm fine. We need to go back to Castle Oblivion."

Axel chuckled. "I don't think so. For one thing, we've got Roxas out for the count. For another, I'm not about to drag your heavy ass out when you collapse again." Axel's head suddenly whipped to the side, eyes narrow as he heard a noise. "Who's there?"

Two cloaked figures were standing a short distance off. One had a stature similar to Roxas or Xurik, but the other was more slender. Xurik narrowed his eyes.

"Xion?"

Upon hearing Xurik call out, the shorter of the two lowered her head and began to walk away into the Twilight Town underground; her response to her name confirmed Xurik's fears. He began to run towards her. Why was she helping the impostor?

"Xion, hang on a second!"

His progress was halted as the second hooded figure suddenly stepped in the way. Xurik scowled at him, summoning the Keyblade.

"Out of my way!"

The figure hesitated for a moment. At first it seemed like he was about to run and follow Xion; but instead he paused. He slowly reached up and lowered his hood. Xurik's eyes narrowed.

The boy had deep blue eyes - his hair was brown and obnoxiously spiky. For some reason, he looked vaguely familiar. Could it be because he looked about the same age as Roxas?

"I said get out of my way," Xurik repeated, although less forcefully. The way the boy was smirking at him made him uncomfortable.

"Wow. You really do look like him," the boy said quietly, almost to himself.

There were footsteps on the bricks behind him. "Xurik, wait up!" Axel shouted, but froze as soon as he saw the boy standing before them. The boy looked up as he saw the red-head.

"Long time no see, Axel."

"What?" Xurik said, whipping around to face Axel. The older man looked like he was about to be sick. "Axel, do you... know him?"

"What are you doing here?" Axel said quietly. "I told you to stay away from the Organization. Nothing good is going to come from this."

The boy smirked. "You're the ones looking for me, remember?"

"Exactly. My mission is to destroy you. I'll do it, too, if you don't stop interfering."

"And my 'mission' is to help my best friend wake up."

"Someone tell me what's going on!" Xurik said, getting annoyed. He jabbed a finger in the boy's chest. "Who are you? And why are you wearing our cloak? Why is Xion hanging around with you instead of us?"

The boy seemed to consider for a moment, then shrugged. "I guess it can't hurt. I'm Sora. And I'm trying to help Xion uncover the truth." He looked up at Axel pointedly. "She doesn't seem to think she can find it within the Organization."

Xurik's eyes narrowed. Sora. The name felt familiar. Whoever the boy was, at least now he knew why Xion had been missing for so long. Hadn't he felt like the Organization never told them anything? He understood her frustration, but it had never been enough to betray them...

And what about them? Why had Xion abandoned her best friends for some strange human boy? An odd spasm of jealousy surged through him. Who the hell was this kid, anyway?

"Get out of here," Axel hissed. "And don't you dare go anywhere near Roxas."

For the first time, Sora looked confused. "Roxas? Who's that?"

"Never you mind." In a whirl of flames, Axel summoned his chakrams. "Just scram. Otherwise I will follow through on my orders. You know I will."

Sora considered this for a moment, then nodded, his face serious. In a whirl of darkness, he was gone.

"Axel," Xurik said, whipping around to face the man. "Who the hell was that? And why do you know him?"

Axel scratched his head. "We... ran into each other in the past. I can't really say much more than that."

"Bullshit!" Xurik shouted. He shoved Axel in the chest; the man stumbled backwards a couple of feet, stunned. "You can tell me, you're just choosing not to! You knew Xion came from Castle Oblivion, but you didn't say anything about that either! Axel... why do you always have to keep me in the dark? We're best friends, you said it yourself. Or were you lying then, too?"

"No, of course not, I -"

"Xion is gone now because no one would tell her anything," Xurik said quietly. "The truth about who she is. You know, don't you? You're just not telling me."

"Xurik, I swear to you I don't," Axel said desperately. "Come on, grow up. Yeah, I keep stuff from you. That's life. Sorry, but that's just how it has to be... for your own good. As far as Xion goes... yeah, she was born in Castle Oblivion. But that's as much as I know."

"Well then, who's Sora?"

Axel fell silent - his gaze dropped to the ground. Xurik shook his head with disgust, then stomped over to where Roxas was still lying, comatose. Using most of his strength, Xurik managed to scoop the lifeless boy up in his arms.

"See you later, Axel. Don't bother looking for me at the clock tower."

In a whirl of shadows, Xurik and Roxas were gone. Axel sighed, burying his face in his hands.

"Dammit, Xurik. Why are you so much like him? This is all for your own good... at some point you're going to dig too deep, and it'll destroy you."

Nearby, Xion listened from behind a corner. Her gaze dropped - was she doing the right thing by searching for the truth? Yes, she was changing everything... but wasn't it better to put things as they needed to be?

"You can go back to them if you want to," Sora said quietly. Xion said nothing, then shook her head slowly. She pulled her hood up over her head.

"I know. Let's go, Sora."